A-choo! Oh-no, what do I do now?

Feeling under the weather? I get so many questions from clients when the seasons change and the bugs start going around, that I figured I’d share with everyone, what to do when you come down sick, or feel under the weather…

For starters, if you have an appointment with a health practitioner, massage therapist, healer, therapist, hair stylist… its best to call them to let them know you are coming down sick –  sometimes they would prefer that you do not come in for your appointment, because germs are easily spread in those first couple days and these providers work directly with people. (Your provider however may say he/she has a rockin’ immune system and not worry about it – but it is wise to check in.Your Doctor is about the only person I know for sure doesn’t mind you being sick!!) Its also a very good idea to stay home from work – not only for your recovery, but showing up at work infects your co-workers.

If I get sick – usually just a couple days of staying home and nurturing myself has me back on my feet and relatively symptom free.  If one tries to power through a cold and keep working, the body often has to work harder and it takes longer to overcome the illness and it can drag out for days or weeks, and also provides an opportunity for a secondary bacterial infection.

So the prescription is rest, rest, REST!  Less than 24-hours notice fees are usually waived by providers for suddenly coming down sick – taking care of yourself and stopping the spread of germs is key. Believe it or not, your work will still be there tomorrow if you skip a day or two to take care of yourself.

When am I contagious?  Usually a person is contagious if they are just coming down with a bug and feel feverish, or if there is sneezing or a lot of nasal discharge.  This is the body trying to get rid of the profusion of viruses… when the sneezing stops and you aren’t blowing your nose so often, you are probably no longer as contagious.  Washing your hands often with soap is probably still a good idea however to be safe for all.

Can I ward it off?  Yes – sometimes when we catch it in the early stages, we can ward off coming down sick, before we hit that contagious stage. What I suggest is rest- go to bed early, take a hot bath with plenty of epsom salts and soothing essential oils to help relax & draw out toxins, and if you know you’ve been exposed, what I personally find to be the best supplement is Echinacea & Propolis throat spray – it targets the tonsil area where many bugs start to grow, and for me has about a 90% effectiveness rate when used liberally at first signs of discomfort.

Avoid emotionally distressing situations – I find that emotions like upset or anger cause our immune system to drop in effectiveness.  Keeping up a positive attitude will help the body resonate with a can-do attitude and rally the troops – your white blood cells – to do their job.

Does bodywork help?  Yes, massage helps pump lymph fluid through the body and into the lymph nodes where viruses are collected.  If you receive bodywork a few days after you’ve come down sick (when you are less likely to be shedding airborne virus) this will accelerate your healing greatly – sometimes people report feeling a little achy the next day as all the viruses are being collected into the lymph nodes en masse and expelled- but after that, miraculous full recovery has been reported!

For breathwork however, I recommend waiting until you can breath more easily without too much discomfort – although, being a form of bodywork, it also will move toxins out of the body. Due to its sometimes more vivid movement of energy and emotions its usually best to wait until you are feeling less under the weather.